It's a Marauder's Life
by I'mNotJoking-I'mSirius
Summary: Cannon story of the Marauders. Their years through Hogwarts and the forth comings of friendship and enemies.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of the J.K. Rowling Harry Potter series. _  
_**A/N:** So, new story. A cannon of the Marauder's life! Tell me what you think :)_

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Mr and Mrs Evans, and their two little girls, were seated around the kitchen table eating breakfast when there was a loud knock at the front door.

Mr Evans excused himself from the table and headed to the door to find out who could want them at 9am on a Sunday. A short, balding man stood on the door step dressed in a pinstripe suit and a pair of round glasses perched on the tip of his nose, he cleared his throat before saying

"Good morning, Mr Evans, I assume?" A nod from Mr Evans confirmed his question and he continued. "My name is Theodore Vane and I've been sent to talk to you and your wife about..." Here, he pulled out a clipboard and flipped a few pages before looking back up, "Lily."

"Sorry, Mr Vane, but what could possibly be of such a matter for you to come on a Sunday morning?"

"If you'd let me in, we could discuss this somewhere more quiet,"

"Yes, yes, do come in." Mr Evans ushered Mr Vane into the house, and lead him to the lounge room and called for his wife.

"Ah, you must be Mrs Evans,"

"Please, call me Nora." Nora Evans shook Mr Vane's hand as they took seats in the room.

"So, Mr and Mrs Evans, I've been sent here today to tell you that your daughter Lily has been accepted to Hogwarts School. Please, let me finish" Mr Evans had tried speaking up, but was stopped.

"Hogwarts is not just your ordinary school, nor is it a religious school. It is a school of magic. Your daughter Lily has magical ability that has been recognised by the Ministry of Magic, and at the age of 11, every child that possesses this ability attends Hogwarts where they learn to harness and control their power.

Now, most parents like yourselves, that do not harness magic, react rather badly when they are told of our world. You seem like an open minded couple, and I would trust that you could see sense to let your daughter attend our school. If you cannot fathom such information, we will have to take measures to ensure that the magic society remain secret. Have you any questions?"

The couple had hard looks on their faces, before they turned to each other and had a quick conversation between their eyes.

"You're saying that magic is real?"

"And our daughter has magical talent?"

"That would be correct." Mr Vane nodded.

"This... this... magical ability... how does it show?"

"Usually the child cannot control their outbursts, perhaps when they get angry, or upset something strange happens. I don't doubt that Lily may have shown something recently?"

Mr Evans answered him this time, "Yes, there was that time when she was four, and her older sister broke her doll. Lily got so upset, the next thing we heard was Petunia screaming about something, we ran upstairs and Petunia's doll was up on the highest shelf of their bookcase; which neither of them could reach. I didn't think of it at the time, but I had no idea how it had gotten up there."

Nora Evans followed with another time, "Then there was just a few weeks ago, when she met her new friend, Severus. They were out in the backyard and I came out to call them in for dinner, and there Lily was with several flowers in her hand and concentrating on them. I thought I saw them moving, but just thought it was a trick of the eye, because it was getting dark."

"Yes, by the sounds of it, Lily knows about her magic, and was sharing it with this boy. But you need not worry; it is against our laws for children to use their magic once they turn 11. Until then, it must stay hidden from neighbours, and anyone that is not magic. My people will see about the boy, and if there's anything he shouldn't know, it'll be straightened out."

Mr Vane stood for a moment, as he put his hand in to his pinstriped jacket and gave an 'ah-ha!' when he had retrieved what he wanted. A letter was handed to the couple sitting opposite him, and on the front it said;

_Lily Evans  
14 Dartford Street  
Cokeworth England_

Mr and Mrs Evans took the letter but asked what it was.

"Her acceptance letter of course. It would have come by owl post, but because she comes from a non-magical family, a member of our ministry, myself, had to come and explain it to you."

"Owl post?"

"Yes, all of our post is delivered by owls."

The Evans' stood with Mr Vane, once he'd looked at his watch and said that he had to be off. They followed him to the front door, where he gave them one last bit of information.

"In the letter, it explains what Lily will need for her classes at school. There will be someone in contact with you in a week's time and will assist you on where to purchase these items. Have a wonderful day!"

And the man in the pinstriped suit was off.

Back in the house, the two little girls sat apart from one another. The smaller one, with long bright red hair and almond shaped green eyes was brushing her latest doll's hair, while her older sister with long dark brown hair glared at her with her small almond shaped brown eyes. Since Lily had met her friend Severus, Petunia had become more hesitant to hang around her. Petunia was unsure of what the new boy had been telling her sister, but from what she'd seen, and what she'd heard it was something that Petunia couldn't do; and that in itself frustrated Petunia.

As their parents headed back in to the kitchen, they called the girls from their room and decided to tell them straight up about what happened.

"What do you mean Lily is magic! She's a _witch_?" Petunia spat the word out like an insult and Lily looked at her with tears in her eyes.

"Tuney, that's not nice." She said softly. If it was up to Lily, she'd share her magic with her sister so they could go to the school together.

"Petunia! Go to your room, and think about what you said. Lily has a gift, she's still your sister and you should still treat her like your sister! Understand?" Mr Evans looked sternly at his eldest daughter, then pointed up the stairs where their bedroom was.

"Yes, dad." Petunia walked out of the room, and turned around to poke her tongue out at Lily just before she ran upstairs.

"Here dear, this is for you." Mrs Evans handed Lily the letter that Mr Vane had given them.

Lily opened it and read aloud;

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss Evans,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1__st__ September. We await your owl by no later than 31__st__ July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress_

"I can't believe it! Severus was right!" Lily was grinning, as she looked up to her parents, they questioned her.

"'Severus was right?' Lily what do you mean?"

"Oh. Well, Severus said that there was a place called Hogwarts, and that we're both going. I didn't believe him first, but he assured me that I would get a letter. And I got it! I'm so excited! I have to go tell him!" She tried getting up and running out the house, but her parents stopped her.

"Hold on for a moment, Lily. Sit."

"Now," began her father. "Mr Vane said that someone is coming by next week to take us to get your supplies. What does the list say?"

"What? Oh yeah. There was a list attached!" She paused for a moment while she found the page she was looking for and then read it aloud too.

"HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform  
_First year students will require:  
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)  
2. One plain pointed had (black) for day wear  
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

Set Books  
_All students should have a copy of each of the following:  
_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by _Miranda Goshawk_  
A History of Magic by _Bathilda Bagshot_  
Magical Theory by_ Adalbert Waffling_  
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by _Emeric Switch_  
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by _Phyllida Spore_  
Magical Drafts and Potions by _Arsenius Jigger_  
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by _Newt Scamander_  
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by _Quentin Trimble_

Other Equipment  
_1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad_

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS"_

"Wow. I didn't know there was so much to learn about magic?" Lily looked at her parents again and questioned their thoughts on what she'd just read out.

"Did it say a _toad?_" was her father's reply.

"An owl, a cat or toad, yeah" Lily nodded.

"Well, there isn't much we can do about that now, I would have no idea where to look first for that sort of... information!" Lily's mother gave a short hysterical laugh and finished, "Let's put that letter away so you don't lose it and we'll wait till next Sunday for someone to help us. You can go find Severus now, dear."

"Thanks Mum!" Lily ran out the door, in search of her best friend to tell him the news.

"James!" A middle aged witch stood in the entrance hall, holding a letter that was addressed to her only son. She had been anticipating this letter for months now, and it was finally here, she couldn't wait to take him to get all his supplies, and take him to King's Cross Station. She knew he'd love Hogwarts, as she and her husband did when they were there.

"JAMES POTTER!"

A muffled reply came from up the stairs, and in a minute a gangly boy with ruffled hair and glasses came bounding down them.

"Is that it mum? Here! Let me open it!" His excitement led him to snatching the letter from his mum and running to the lounge, quickly followed by Mrs Potter.

"_Dear Mr Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1__st__ September. We await your owl by no later than 31__st__ July._

_Yours sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall_

Ignoring the rest of the letter, James gave a yell of joy, jumped up and hugged his mother.

"When are we gonna go to Diagon Alley, mum? Can we go today? _Please_?"

"Sorry, dear, but your father wants to come too and he won't be home till later in the week. What does it say that we need to buy anyway?"

James went on to read the rest of the letter, at a slower pace this time so his mother could understand him.

"Oh! Mum can I _please _have an owl?" Mrs Potter laughed at his enthusiasm, told him yes but he'd have to wait till Dad got back from his work trip.

"Aww man! Why can't he come back today!" Not letting the news dampen his mood, he ran back upstairs, talking to himself about not being allowed a broom stick.

Sirius Black was cooped up in his bedroom of 12 Grimmauld Place, looking through an old and battered _History of Magic_ book that belonged to one of his relatives. He jumped when something flew in to his window, and after wandering over to open it and find out what it was, he was standing there with a brown owl sitting on the sill with a letter in its mouth. Sirius found a bit of dried up bread and gave it to the bird, which flew back out the window, leaving the eleven- year- old with his Hogwarts letter.

_Dear Mister Black,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1__st__ September. We await your owl by no later than 31__st__ July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress_

Sirius skimmed the rest of the letter, and then trotted down stairs in search of his parents.

"Hey mum! Dad! I got my letter!"

"That's great, Sirius," Said Orion Black without much enthusiasm as he flicked through _The Daily Prophet _in front of him.

"SIRIUS BLACK! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO TIDY UP THAT BEDROOM OF YOURS! AND NOT TO COME DOWN UNTIL IT WAS" A voice screamed from the kitchen, as she heard her eldest son come down the stairs, only twenty minutes after sending him to tidy it up.

"But _mum_! I got my letter!"

"TELL ME ABOUT IT WHEN YOUR ROOM IS CLEAN! AND DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK DOWN HERE TILL IT'S SPOTLESS OR I'LL HANG YOU UP BY YOUR EARS IN THE CLOSET!"

Sirius sighed at his parent's reactions and retreated back up to his bedroom where he kicked aside some clothes and books and went back to reading his chapter from _History of Magic_. Might as well learn something about Hogwarts before he got there, it sure beat tidying.

"Lily, have you got everything dear? You're wand? You're _owl_?"

"Oh! Athena!"

"I've got her," Her father sighed as he shifted the cage on to the trolley that held her trunk, "Now, have you got everything?"

"Yeah," Lily grinned at her father, her excitement visible in her eyes as they turned towards the station and went in search of Platform 9 3/4. Petunia followed her mother and tried to taunt her _freak_ of a sister, but under the firm watch of her father, she was unable to make any sneer comments and so, settled for ignoring her.

Walking down towards the platforms of 9 and 10, a boy about Lily's age shoved past Petunia, squealing. His parents were rushing after him pushing a well laden trolley that held an owl atop of the trunks.

"James! Slow down! We'll go through together just let us get there first!" huffed the woman ushering her husband who was pushing the trolley.

Lily heard her mother mutter 'he's a handfull' as her gaze followed the excited boy ahead of them.

Once the four of them reached the sign that had _PLATFORM 9_ and _PLATFORM 10_ on either side, Lily spotted her best friend, Severus Snape. He had told her that he would wait for her at the station, but she wasn't sure he would because of the weird entrance to Platform 9 ¾.

"Sev! You're here!" She ran over to him and gave him a big hug.

"Yeah! I can't believe we're going today! You're gonna love school," Severus trailed off as Lily's parents caught up to them and asked about getting to the platform. It was quarter to 11, and they had been told specifically that the train left at exactly 11:00, no exceptions.

"Right, well we go through here," Severus patted the wall under the sign of the two platforms.

"_What? Are you mad?" _ Petunia's voice came from behind her mother. "How do you expect to walk through a _wall?"_ Sneering once again, she folded her arms and glared at Severus.

"Magic, of course," he replied stubbornly, holding his hand out to Lily, who took it hesitantly. He then proceeded to 'fall' through the barrier, into where the Hogwarts Express was waiting for them. A moment later, Mr and Mrs Evans came through the barrier, followed closely by Petunia, who was white as the owl sitting atop Lily's trunk.

All around them, people were yelling, rushing, greeting, and shoving in a strange but organised manner. Mr Evans pushed the trolley in the direction of the other trolleys while Severus and Lily, Petunia at their side, were staring at the shiny black and red steam engine that was billowing steam about it in its impatience to leave.

"Come on, let's go find a seat before they're all taken," Severus dragged Lily a metre before she tugged him back and told him to wait a moment.

"Thought you weren't going to say goodbye!" Her mother smiled down at the red head as she ran back to give her a big hug.

"I'll write you, mum, tell you all about it! It's going to be great!"

"I'm sure it will, honey. Have a safe trip and an amazing time, we will see you at Christmas," She hugged her daughter one last time before releasing her. Lily turned to her sister quickly and tried to escape the glare that was turned towards her.

"I'm sorry you couldn't come too, Tuney. It would have been more fun with you" She smiled sadly at her sister, who dropped the glare for a second before pulling it back and giving an 'hmph!' and turning her shoulder away.

Lily turned away, sadness in her eyes for a fleeting moment before her father returned, whom she hugged vigorously.

"Have a wonderful time, sweetheart. You'll be back for Christmas, won't you?" He grinned at her, and the excitement peaked in her eyes again.

"You betcha! Bye dad! Bye mum! Bye Tuney!" Lily ran back to where Severus stood impatiently, took his hand and dragged him to the train door just as the whistle sounded for take-off.

Bouncing on the platform of 9 and 3/4, a boy of 11 had his eyes trained on the scarlet steam engine in front of him. Grabbing his mother's arm, who told her husband to hurry, they squeezed their way down through the throng of people and animals.

"Oh boy! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Come _on_ Mum, I wanna get a good seat!"

"Now wait just a moment Jay," Charles Potter stopped his hyperactive son, "Let's get your trunk and owl on to the train before you go throwing yourself in to that throng of students! Merlin knows what trouble you'll get in to this year." He ruffled James' hair and headed down to the luggage compartment.

"Honey, are you sure you have everything? You know how difficult owl post is if you have forgotten something," Dora Potter looked sternly at her son for only a moment before her eyes started to water.

"I can't believe you're finally off to Hogwarts! Such a happy day! My little boy is all grown up!" She tried to hug him, but his attempt to escape landed him in a one armed embrace with his mother's head on his shoulder.

"_Mum_!"

"Sorry dear, it's just so... so..." she trailed off and stifled another round of tears.

"Mum, I'll see you at Christmas anyway. It's not _that_ far away! I'll write you too, promise," he grinned at his mother, who finally released him.

"I'll be waiting for the letter telling me you made it in to Gryffindor!" His father returned, "Have a safe and exciting trip, son. And please, do _try_ not to get in to any mischief! I don't want a letter from the headmaster in the first week at least, okay?"

"Alright, dad. I'll _try,_" he gave a wicked grin to his father then waved goodbye to them. He was off to Hogwarts!

Running along the train, in search of a place to sit, he ran into another boy his height that was scrawny and has black hair. Grinning at the boy, he told him that he was sorry and introduced himself as James Potter. Shaking his hand, the other boy plainly stated "Sirius Black, nice to meet you."

"Do you have somewhere to sit? I can't find a spot _anywhere"_

"I think I saw a place towards the other end of the train if you're up for it? Mind, you seem to have plenty of energy" Sirius said as he rubbed his shoulder that had collided with James.

"Hey!... Well, yeah. I suppose I do, hey." James looked at his feet for a fleeting moment before grinning at the boy and finishing with "But I'll beat you there!" And with that, Sirius saw a mop of untidy hair start running along the corridor in the direction he came, and bolted after him, no way was he going to be beaten!

"haha! There's no way anyone can beat me and my energy! We're the one and only JAMES POTTER!" He looked at Sirius, who was slightly puffing, then looked in to the compartment they'd had their eye on. A girl with bright red hair was curled up in the corner, looking out the window with a book sitting in her lap. Making a comment about having no friends, he let himself and Sirius into the seating area.

"So, Sirius, what has you coming to Hogwarts this fine year?"

"Well, other than the fact that I am 11 now, and that it's about to begin a new school year, and the train taking everyone to school leaves today..." He paused for a moment, wondering, "There's nothing keeping me away! How about you, oh energetic one?"

Laughing, James punched Sirius in the arm lightly then replied, "Well, being pureblood and all, my name's been down since I was born"

"Oh yeah! That too!" Sirius remembered another reason he was heading to Hogwarts today.

"You're pureblood too, hey?" James asked blatantly, where a nod and shrug was all he got as a reply.

A moment of silence passed between them, before the two boys looked at each other. Sirius said "Favourite Quidditch team?" And at the exact same moment they both yelled "Puddlemere United!"

James then asked "Favourite collector's card?" Again, they both answered together "Falco Aesalon!"

"Worst Bertie Bott's flavour?" Together, they answered this last one with "Broccoli!"

Another moment passed as they looked at each other, then jumped up and hugged, whacking each other on the back several times.

"Oh my god. Where _have_ you been all my life?" Sirius claimed that he'd been locked in his room for most of it, while James was claiming they were now best friends.

An hour later, Severus Snape appeared at the compartment door. In his rescue mission of his pet toad, Prince, he'd brewed over his argument with Lily about her sister. Of course she'd want her there, they were sisters, and Severus, being a right git, told Lily that her sister wasn't special. So he made his way back to her, Prince hidden away in his robes, and found she was stuck in the corner ignoring two other boys their age.

Walking in to the compartment, and sitting in front of Lily, he saw her eyes were still slightly red and puffy. He hadn't meant to cause her tears, and so he apologised.

"I don't want to talk to you" Lily said as she looked out the window.

"Why not?" Severus inquired.

"Tuney hates me,"

"So?"

"So she's my sister!" Lily snapped back at him.

"She's only a—" He caught himself quickly; Lily too busy trying to wipe her eyes without being noticed.

"But we're going!" Severus said, unable to hold in his excitement any longer, "This is it! We're finally off to Hogwarts!"

A half smiling Lily turned to him, sniffling once. "Yeah," she nodded.

"You'd better be in Slytherin" Severus said, taking the topic off her sister.

"_Slytherin_?" James Potter focused in on their conversation, "Who'd want to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" He turned to Sirius who was lounging opposite him.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin" Sirius deadpanned.

"Blimey," James reacted, "and I thought you seemed alright!" Sirius grinned at him in return.

"Hopefully I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading if you have the choice?"

A grinning James lifted an invisible sword and stated "'_Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!'_ Like my dad."

Severus made a scoffing noise, sneering at James, "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy—"

He was intercepted by Sirius who snapped at him "Where are you going then, seeing as you're neither?"

James laughed hysterically at that, and Lily sat up and glared at the other two boys.

"Come on Severus, let's go find another compartment."

Imitating her voice, James and Sirius teased the two, and attempted to trip Severus on his way out.

"See ya, Snivellus!" Sirius called out as the door slammed.

James scoffed "_Slytherins!_" and lounged back on to his seat. "So, your whole family have been Slytherin? Reckon you'll get it too?"

"I really hope not, my parents are so prejudiced, it's just not natural!" Sirius sighed, "If I get to choose, I'll go anywhere _but_ Slytherin."

"Me too, my friend, me too." James nodded in agreement.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of J. K. Rowling's glorious world of Harry Potter. Any characters you don't recognise belong to me :)**

**A/N: So, here's chapter two! Enjoy and let me know if I'm getting off track with character's personalities! Hope you like the new housemates!**

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Chapter 2

"Black, Sirius!" The Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall called out the fourth name on her list of first year students.

Sirius, with a moment's hesitation, walked up to the wooden stool that held the Sorting Hat. He picked it up, turned around and sat, placing the hat on his head.

"Ah! Another Black, I know just what to do with y –" Sirius' thoughts interjected the Hat's musings, 'Please, not Slytherin, not Slytherin.'

"Not Slytherin, aye? You could be great you know; you've got ambition but a thirst to prove yourself from your family. Hmm, Not Slytherin? It'd better be, GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius grinned at James before making his way over to the Gryffindor table, where the first year section had the girl he followed in the sorting, Courtney, who had short brown hair and brown eyes. He sat down beside her and she smiled at him.

"Evans, Lily!" The red headed girl made her way to the stool, where she placed the hat atop her head and gasped when it spoke to her.

"Ah! A bright mind, a thirst to strive in everything, but not bad at standing up to people! But where to put you? Ravenclaw? You're intelligence is overwhelming. Hufflepuff? No, you're too bright for Helga. Perhaps Gryffindor? You have that need to prove yourself, and a courage that many students lack. Definitely no bad magic resides in you, so it had better be, GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily looked over at her best friend as she stepped away from the stool, and the boy had a sad and longing expression as his eyes followed her over to the Gryffindor table. Sirius offered her the seat beside her, but she lifted her nose when she recognised him and went to sit opposite Courtney.

The next few students to get sorted included a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw, before a lanky boy dressed in what appeared to be hand me down robes walked up to the hat. Remus Lupin put on the hat and was happy to oblige when it agreed to send him to Gryffindor. He wandered over to the table, and took the seat beside Sirius.

"Hi, I'm Sirius Black"

"Remus Lupin" they shook hands and Remus smiled at Lily kindly before turning back to the Sorting.

Caroline Mulciber was sorted in to Slytherin House, and Dedalus Newings was sent to Ravenclaw.

"Pettigrew, Peter!" A short stumpy little boy with dirty blonde coloured hair twitched his way up to the stool. His beady eyes scanned the room and you could see him muttering his wishes to the hat.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Sitting down beside Remus, they shook hands and introduced themselves, only to be interrupted when "Potter, James!" was called up.

"Ahh, Potter. I know just what to do with you! Your courage knows no bounds, and your loyalty will get you far! GRYFFINDOR!"

Bounding over to the Gryffindor table, he sat opposite Remus Lupin, introducing himself to the other boys, and grinned at Sirius.

"Knew I'd made the right choice! You sneaky Black, you!" As an afterthought, he turned to the girl beside him "Hey there Evans, gonna miss your boyfriend?" which earned himself a scowl from her and a coughing fit from Sirius.

"Rosier, Evan" was sent to the Slytherin table, while "Sandwell, Tayla" and "Sandwell, Thalia" joined them at the Gryffindor table. "Snape, Severus" was then called and Lily's eyes brightened.

Severus placed the hat above his head and if he was surprised that it spoke to him, he didn't show it.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Severus, down trodden, glanced at Lily whose eyes had also saddened, and he headed over to the Slytherin table, where he greeted the just sorted Slytherins who were cheering and the prefect with gleaming white blonde hair.

Two more students remained after Severus, one whom was sorted in to Hufflepuff, and the last joined him at the Slytherin table.

"Welcome, welcome to Hogwarts! Before we fill your stomachs with our wonderful feast, there are just a few reminders. For first years, please note that you are not allowed your own broomstick, second years, please note there are no Hogsmeade visits until your third year, and lastly, classes resume bright and early tomorrow morning! Enjoy!"

Headmaster Dumbledore sat down in his throne-like chair and the feast appeared in front of the students. Lily, Remus and several other first years gasped, having never seen so much food before, while James and Sirius, who were used to feasts like this all the time, dug straight in and filled up their plates.

Once the feast was over, Dumbledore spoke a few last minute words and ushered the students off to bed. The first years were told to follow their prefects, and they were led off to their respective dormitories.

James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily, Courtney and the twins were ushered in to the Gryffindor common room through a portrait of the Fat Lady. The room was circular, and featured a large fireplace to the right half of the room, surrounded by tapestries and bookcases. Opposite the entrance were two glass windows, either side of a set of spiralling stairs, which overlooked the grounds of Hogwarts. To the left of the entrance, was a bulletin board that held several pieces of paper, and the students were told it would show lost items, Quidditch practices, class reschedules and any important information they may require.

"Now, boys, your dormitories are up the stairs and to your left, girls, the same on your right. The common room is the place where you will spend most of your free time and doing any homework or studying. Please keep this in mind, as older students actually do their study here, so keep your voices down. You'll find that your trunks have already been brought up."

Lily, who had just befriended Tayla, Thalia and Courtney, led them out of the common room to the girl's dormitory.

"So, Lily, what did James mean when he asked about your boyfriend? What house is he in?" Courtney had heard the taunt from James to Lily, and had kept in mind to ask her about it.

Lily's eyes dropped again, and she just shrugged, "he's not my boyfriend. He's my best friend and he got sorted in to Slytherin." She sighed, then turned towards her new bed and flopped down upon it.

"I don't understand why there's so much rivalry between the houses. I mean, I was reading _Hogwarts: A History_ and it explained Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor's different views, but I don't know why it matters _now_" trailing off into another sigh, she heard one of the twins answer.

"Maybe you can change it, Lily? I mean, out of all of us, you're the one with the friend in Slytherin. Stay friends with him and make people see how nice they can be!" Her optimism caught Lily and she sat upright, "You're right, Tanya! I'm gonna go talk to him...On second thought, maybe in the morning" she yawned. The other three laughed before getting ready for their first night at Hogwarts.

* * *

The boy's had gone up to their dormitory shortly after the girls, and after claiming beds, conversation spiked. James was lying on his bed with his hands behind his head; Sirius was perched on his pillows, while Remus was out having a shower. Peter was scurrying about his bed, looking for something when Sirius spoke up.

"Hey, Peter, how'd you get in Gryffindor anyway? Bribe the hat or something?"

Eyes wide and stumbling over his words he replied, "Uh- umm – n-no, the hat told me I could prove myself here..."

"Well you aren't doing too well; you need to stop mumbling for starters." James interjected.

Peter shied away, and mumbled something unintelligent before leaving the room for the showers. Remus came back in a moment later asking what was up with Peter.

"Oh, he reckons he belongs in Gryffindor," Sirius said offhandedly.

"Well, maybe he does. He has just as much right as you do, Sirius Black! One could ask you the same about you!" Remus glared at the two boys opposite while James just tilted his head at him.

"After much deliberation, I decided that I like you, Remus. You're cool." James got up from his bed, grinning and went over to shake Remus' hand for the second time that night.

"That really wasn't any deliberation at all, James" Sirius rolled his eyes at his newest friend.

"So? He's one of us now Sirius, be nice, like the Gryffindor you are!" Puffing his chest he took a stance of someone heroic. Sighing, Sirius rolled his eyes again, but laughed a moment later.

"Alright,"

* * *

The following morning at breakfast, the eight new Gryffindors were seated around the table, eating their wonderful feast. Once all the plates were cleared, a slip of parchment with an empty timetable on it appeared in front of each of them. Dumbledore stood up and announced that everyone would be receiving their timetable from their head of house, and then must proceed to their first class for a Thursday.

"Who's our head of house?" asked Courtney.

"Professor McGonagall, according to _Hogwarts: A History. _She also teaches Transfiguration, and as you saw in our letter, she's Deputy Headmistress." Lily said, looking quite proud of herself.

"Reckon she'll let us use our wands?" Sirius grinned.

"I hope we get to transfigure animals! That'd be wicked!" James beamed in excitement.

Remus went and ruined all their fun by telling them 'First year is pretty much all theory, and very little wand using, if any."

Trying not to let that dampen their thoughts of their first year at Hogwarts, the eight students bounced in their seats waiting for McGonagall to come round and tell them where they'd be heading for the day.

"Here she comes!" One of the twins whispered loudly.

"_Alright_!" Sirius fist punched the air and sat back down just as the Head of House came to their section of the table.

"Now, as first years, you are required to study theory and practical work in the fields of Charms, Transfiguration, Flying, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Astronomy and Potions. Each class will hand out homework, and assignments that must be completed and exams are held at the end of the school year. Please be aware that if you are late to class, or disruptive, points will be taken from your House, and detentions will be handed out. As a tradition of this school, Gryffindor classes will coincide with the Slytherin classes, that is, you'll be sharing all your classes with them."

She went around and tapped each slip of parchment with her wand, and the class timetable came up. First thing Thursday morning, double History of Magic.

"Ooh, I wonder if we'll get to learn about the pixies and the fairies! That would be cool," One of the twins sighed a happy sigh, while all the boys blanched.

"Eugh, I hope we get to learn about the goblins and the trolls!" Sirius opposed, and James nodded in agreement.

"Guys, I think we should get going, class begins in five minutes..." Remus, the voice of reason, spoke up and got a reply of 'does anyone actually know where we're supposed to be going?'

"Come on, we'll find it on the way." Remus led the group out of the hall, where they collided with some of the other Slytherins. Lily had skipped off, and was walking to class with Severus, their book bags slung over their shoulders.

"Watch it!" one of the Slytherins called out, "Stupid Gryffindors!" another one yelled,

Sirius and James started yelling back, before Remus once again stepped in, "Man, you guys are gonna need me around more often or you'll end up with detentions every night!"

James recalled his father's wish that he not receive a letter from the school at least in the first week, and he gulped, then he sighed, grabbed Sirius by the shirt sleeve, and nodded to their voice of reason, "Thanks Remus."

"Well that wasn't as fun as I'd expected..." Sitting around a large oak tree out on the grounds of Hogwarts, the two boys were surrounded by their fellow housemates, well, all but Lily who had run off again with Severus, and Peter, who was hidden away in the castle walls somewhere. Classes were over for the day, and the students were enjoying the last of the daily sunshine.

"Yeah, what happened to all the fun of education? The trolls, and the goblins and the fighting!" James agreed with Sirius.

"Guess we're gonna have to make our own fun, what say you, James?" Sirius grinned mischieviously.

"I'm in for anything that will get me away from those terrible classes! I mean, who honestly gets up one morning and doesn't even realise they're dead? WHO LETS A GHOST TEACH?"

"Well, obviously he does well as a history teacher; he was probably alive when it all happened!" interjected Courtney. "I, for one, found it interesting."

"Yeah..." James started, "For the first two minutes" Sirius laughed.

"What about Potions? Professor Slughorn seemed okay till we were told he was head of Slytherin House. Reckon he's as bad as they are?"

"Sirius, they'd be as bad as your family, seeing as they're all Slytherins," James looked at his friend,

"Oh yeah... I guess I forgot about them." Then he laughed.

"Well, at least he seems to know what he's talking about, and he even said that we'll actually be brewing potions this year" Remus interrupted the awkward silence.

"Didn't he say we _weren't_ brewing potions?" asked Sirius.

"That's why I listen and you don't, because you don't listen properly" Remus argued back.

"Hey! I listen very well! Don't I James?"

James had been gazing off in to the distance, unaware of the argument between his two friends, "James!"

"What!" He looked shocked for a moment, before the others burst in to laughter at the irony.

"What did I do?" James looked annoyed that he was the cause of the laughter.

"I think it was because Sirius and Remus... were arguing about not listening in class... and then you weren't listening when they asked your opinion!" Courtney managed to voice the reason through her laughter, which only caused the others to laugh more.

After a few moments of silence, where the group pondered on their first day of classes, Lily walked up to them, Severus trailing behind her.

"Hey guys, can we join?" Lily asked the girls sitting under the tree.

Sirius and James looked up at the pair, and then looked at one another before speaking up.

"Sorry, Slimey Slytherin Severus isn't allowed!"

"Yeah! Slytherin gits aren't welcome here!"

"Well, too bad for _you two_, I wasn't asking you!" Lily yelled at them, "Hogwarts is about house unity! We're supposed to get along! Clearly, it's the gits like you two that stop that from happening!" She then turned around, and stormed off, grabbing Severus on her way.

"You know, she is right..." Courtney interrupted the silence.

"That really wasn't fair, was it?" One of the twins added.

"Not by my watch, T," her sister agreed.

Sirius made a 'humph' noise, and slumped back down to his spot against the trunk.

* * *

"It's okay, Lily. You know there's always been rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor. I knew they would say something like that, and I know you did too..." Severus was trying to calm down his infuriated friend, after they'd stormed off from the other Gryffindor classmates.

With tears in her eyes, she turned back to Severus and said softly, "I just w-want them to get along with everyone. Show them th-that Gryffindors and Slytherins can be fr-friends!" Hiccup-ing, she gave her reasons, then wiped her tears away and frowned.

"And I will get them to get along. No matter how long it takes!" She told Severus, a bit louder this time.

"Of course you will Lily, you always find a way somehow!" Severus tried to hide his doubt, but Lily being the bright witch she was, said defiantly, "You don't think I can do it? Just watch me, Sev! Eventually you will all be friends!" And with that, Lily stormed off, with Severus chasing after her.

"Lily! Wait! I didn't mean that! Come back!"

x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

The following Saturday found the two from opposing houses sitting in the Library, looking over their latest bit of charms homework.

"How do you _do_ that?" Severus asked of Lily, as she had almost finished their two foot long essay on the theory behind the levitating charm.

"Do what?" She asked innocently.

"Write so much on such a stupid topic! There's hardly anything to think about for a levitating charm!" Severus threw his half-foot long essay on the table between them, crossed his arms, and then proceeded to scowled at it.

"You know, Sev, if you really think about it, there's lots more to charm work than just speaking the actual incantation. Just think of it like Potions, you can't get the final potion till you complete all the steps with the right ingredients. Here, have a look at this page." He looked at her with his scowl, before sitting up and taking a look at what she'd offered.

"Oh, I get it!" copying Lily, he mumbled "can't get the final potion till you complete all the steps with the right ingredients! So I can write it just like I'd write a potions essay, but stating all the basic requirements for a levitation charm rather than a cure for boils?"

"Yep! Although you need to remember –"

"Hey guys! Can we join you?" Lily scowled at the interruption before realising who it was. Courtney, Tanya and Thalia stood off to their side, holding their book bags, looking between each other awkwardly.

"We didn't interrupt anything, did we?" Courtney looked between Lily and Severus, who were now sitting right beside each other while Lily was leaning over Severus to show him the page on their levitating charm.

"Oh! No, no, you can join us!" Lily scooted away from Severus, "Here, come sit." She patted the seat beside her and grinned up at the trio.

"Thanks, we really need to get on with this charms homework; I just don't get how we're supposed to write two feet on a charm!" Tanya said exasperatedly, while her sister agreed, "Neither, T, me either."

"Severus can show you! He knows!" Lily burst out.

"What! No I –" Before he could finish what he was saying, Lily clamped her hand over his mouth and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

A knowing look dawned on his face before she moved away, and then he looked over at the confused girls opposite him, "Well, it's like this. Think of our potions homework, and how we have to write out all the steps in order to make the final potion. Remembering all the ingredients is really important too. And so, for this essay, all you have to do is find all the information on the basis and foundations of how to produce the levitating charm! Get it?"

"Oh!" The three girls made an 'O' with their mouths as they grappled with the new information.

"Wow! That makes it so much easier! How'd you figure that out..." Thalia looked over at Severus forgetting his name.

"Severus. And I had help to begin with, but then I found all the information in our textbook. You just need to know where to look" Severus grinned at Lily and she looked back to the girls, "He's not bad for a Slytherin, hey?"

Courtney smiled when she realised what Lily was trying to do. And it seemed to be working, as the twins were sucked in with Severus' knowledge. Firstly she thought it was odd that Lily hadn't thought of this herself, but then she recalled Lily whispering in Severus' ear, and tried to hide another knowing grin.

"So where are our other wonderful classmates?" Lily deadpanned.

Courtney lit up with glee as she smugly said "serving detention with Filch, so rightly deserved."

"Ha! Shows them! What did they do?" She put down her quill and clasped her hands together waiting for an answer.

"T was there, weren't you?" One of the twins said,

"Yeah, I was. They were in the common room mumbling something about wanting to test out a new thing they'd found, but it was after curfew. And I don't think they knew I was there, but they left through the portrait, so I waited a minute before following them out and then went in search of Professor McGonagall. I found her two corridors down, and she almost took off house points from me, before I told her why I was looking for her. She then went in search of them and I'm assuming she found them seeing as they got detention and I think they lost 5 house points each."

Severus had been listening in to the story, "they sure deserved that if they thought it was okay to leave the dormitories after curfew."

"Yeah, I just don't get why they think its okay. I mean, it was one of the first rules laid down for us when we got here!" One of the twins added.

Severus interrupted again, and looked at the twins, "Wait a second, getting off topic for a minute, but how do you tell the two of you apart?"

"Severus! You can't just ask that!" Lily scolded him.

"No, it's okay. People ask us that all the time. Severus, because you told us about the charms homework, we'll let you in on our secret. If you look closely, Thalia here has a single freckle on the left side of her eyes that looks a bit like a butterfly with one feeler." Tanya explained.

Thalia shoved her twin, "He didn't need to know what it looked like, T!" Tanya shrugged.

"Oh. That makes sense." Now Severus was self-conscious about looking at them, what with trying to focus on where the freckle was beside the eyes for later memory.

An awkward silence fell, before being broken by Courtney. "You know, now that I know our answer for our charms essay is in our textbook, I don't really need to be here, so I'll leave you guys to it" She winked at Lily, and looked at the twins. "You's coming?" Tanya shrugged and Thalia rolled her eyes at her twin. "Yes, we're coming" and with that, the three girls left the two sitting at the table, who were wondering what the deal was with the twins.

"I just don't get them sometimes." Lily shook her head sadly, "But, that was great! You showed them that Slytherins can be just as easy to get along with as Gryffindors! If not, easier!" she beamed at him and playfully pushed his shoulder.

"Aww, really? Better to get along with than those four chummy housemates of yours?" He teased her and she scowled.

"Not fair, Severus. You know they're so arrogant for their own good. At least Potter and Black are! I'd never hang out with them in a million years!"

* * *

Scrubbing the floors of the trophy room for the third time that morning, James and Sirius were discussing the new passages they'd found the past few days.

"I still say we should have used that one behind the tapestry of old Barnabus the Barmy. It would have taken us back near the library, away from McGonagall."

"Nah, it would have taken us to the opposite side of the castle, over near the Astronomy tower." James argued back, "But it doesn't matter anymore, cause here we are in detention, until the next time we try to sneak out I think we need more knowledge of the passages near our dorm. Should we check them out this afternoon after lunch? Curfew isn't till 11pm and we have until dinner."

"Yeah, that sounds fun. We could try scare Evans and _Snivellus_!"

"That's only if they're up near our dorms."

"We could always go out of our way for them."

"The day I go out of my way for _Evans_ and _Snape_, will be the day I'm six feet under." James said defiantly. He was focused on a splatter on the floor, scrubbing really hard, before the brush snapped in his hands.

"Well, what if you went out of your way to _annoy them like crazy_?" Sirius grinned at his best friend. "We could always 'accidentally' follow them from dinner and attack?"

James grinned back, throwing the broken pieces of brush to the other side of the room and reaching for the other sponge in the bucket of soapy water. "Until then!" he punch the soaked sponge into the air, and sputtering when the water dripped on to his face and threw it back on the ground.


End file.
